Courtyard house: Just the right amount of pressure, leaving you bewildered but not brain-damaged.

Although Wu Guizhen had just agreed, Yi Zhonghai knew in his heart that this was a compromise made by his wife out of guilt, and it would be good if she could stick to it for a week.

Under normal circumstances, within three days, the meals prepared for the old lady would be on par with the lunches served during the rain, or perhaps even worse, since the old lady hadn't paid for them.

It's even easier to slack off when it comes to washing clothes and sweeping the floor.

To encourage his wife to persevere longer, Yi Zhonghai racked his brains and offered her three empty promises.

The first picture, of course, is about the issue of retirement that the two are most concerned about.

According to Yi Zhonghai, as long as the neighbors firmly remember the importance of filial piety towards their elders, they will definitely live a very comfortable life in the future.

With money in my pocket and many young people in the compound, a life of being waited on hand and foot is just around the corner.

Compared to the vague and uncertain future, the latter two promises are much more realistic.

Yi Zhonghai swore to heaven that it wouldn't be long before He Yuzhu would take over from Wu Guizhen and take on the responsibility of cooking dinner for the old lady.

Other chores were left to Dongxu's wife, Qin Huairu, and Wu Guizhen only needed to go to the old lady's room occasionally to make a show of it.

Wu Guizhen believed her husband's words wholeheartedly, and her expression gradually brightened.

"Zhonghai, you arrange these things, I'll listen to you."

"It's getting late, let's go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow for a big cleaning."

Yi Zhonghai froze instantly.

A woman in her thirties, as fierce as a wolf, or in her forties, is told to go to bed early. Does that mean she should actually go to bed?

He wanted to refuse, but he was afraid his wife would throw a tantrum and not do her job properly at the old lady's house tomorrow.

Agree? Wouldn't that completely expose our weaknesses?

Since his two-year affair with Jia Zhangshi ended without success and he discovered he was in poor health, Yi Zhonghai has basically not touched Wu Guizhen in recent years.

One reason was that she didn't want to waste her efforts, but more importantly, Wu Guizhen was just an ordinary rural woman who was neither beautiful nor had a good figure.

Although Jia Zhangshi is now almost as fat as a ball, she was one of the most beautiful wives in the alley a few years ago.

Having tasted the sweet and sour pork, Yi Zhonghai simply couldn't bring himself to eat grass roots and tree bark again, especially since his health didn't allow it.

He didn't want his wife to know that he had successfully transformed into a quick-draw man, a three-second man.

What if Wu Guizhen tells him to go to the hospital for a checkup?

If he doesn't go, his wife will always have a thorn in her side, and she might even buy him a bunch of tonics.

Go? Wouldn't that really expose the truth? How would I then use my wife's guilt to get her to do things in the future?

"Ahem, Guizhen, you go back inside and rest. I'll go to the yard to get some water to wipe myself down; I'm all sweaty from the heat today."

"Okay, I'll make the bed and wait for you."

Wu Guizhen happily went back to her room to wait, until she was half asleep, when she realized there was a "little cool person" next to her.

How could it not get cold?

In order to get a good night's sleep, Yi Zhonghai spent more than an hour changing the water seven times and carefully wiping his entire body eight times, almost rubbing his skin raw.

The snoring stopped only when they heard faint snoring coming from the inner room.

The next day, Gao Xiaosheng finally got up early.

I went to the Intermediate People's Court to get water to wash my face and saw Yi Zhonghai assigning tasks to everyone. Wu Guizhen next to me seemed to be in a bad mood, with a dark face and ignoring everyone.

"Xiao Gao, it's already noon, why haven't you left yet? There's no food in the cafeteria today."

"Section Chief Zhou, it's alright, I'm not hungry. I'll patrol one more round and then go back."

"Okay, I didn't realize you were so dedicated."

Zhou Jiasheng understood the principle of seeing through things but not saying them. He knew that Gao Xiaosheng would not make a selfless contribution for no reason, but he did not expose Gao Xiaosheng's little scheme.

Having served as an instructor for so many years, Zhou Jiasheng wouldn't dare say he's exceptionally skilled in marksmanship and military skills, but his keen eye is absolutely accurate in judging people.

Gao Xiaosheng is not an honest, hardworking, or dedicated person.

Of course, in Zhou Jiasheng's view, this is normal.

After all, Gao Xiaosheng had spent a lot of time in bandit dens in the past few years. If he hadn't been lazy, his undercover identity would have been exposed long ago.

Who would want to be a bandit if they were honest and hardworking? Could you find even one diligent and capable person in a bandit den of hundreds or thousands of people?

Gao Xiaosheng wandered around the factory, glancing at his Victory watch every now and then. He persisted until 12:30, when he figured the big cleaning was almost over, before leisurely riding his bicycle home.

"He Yushui, open the door, we need a hygiene inspection."

"Uncle, Brother Sheng hasn't come back yet. You can wait for him to return before you check."

"No, we need to finish watching it while everyone's here. We have other things to do, so we don't have time to wait for him to come back."

"Uncle, Brother Sheng said that I shouldn't open the door for others when he's not home. If I let you in, Brother Sheng will be angry, and he might not let me stay at his house anymore."

As soon as Gao Xiaosheng entered the courtyard, he heard the voices of Yi Zhonghai and He Yushui in the front yard.

"Zhu Zi, you need to discipline your sister. Look at her! Without her parents to discipline her, she's become a complete wreck. She doesn't even listen to her elders."

"Let me tell you all, from now on, no matter if anyone is home or not, don't lock the door. This will make it easier for everyone to keep an eye on each other. If anything is dirty or messy, remind each other and clean it up immediately. This will save you from having to hang up white flags when the neighborhood committee or street office comes down to inspect."

That's why Yi Zhonghai is considered a senior figure; his skill level is indeed several levels higher than Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui.

If he had bangs, and the little girl had blocked him at the door, he probably would have already started kicking the door open and trying to force his way in.

Yan Bugui will most likely put on his teacher's airs and give He Yushui a good scolding.

But Yi Zhonghai knew in his heart that if he argued with a child, no matter who won or lost, he would be the one who lost face, so he decisively handed the problem over to He Yuzhu.

No matter how fiercely the two siblings argued, outsiders couldn't say anything about it.

He himself used this as an excuse to announce the "no-lock policy".

"Old Yi, you..."

"Um?"

Xu Fugui frowned and was about to speak when Yi Zhonghai turned around and glared at him fiercely.

"N-nothing." Xu Fugui surrendered decisively, shrinking his neck and retreating to the outer circle.

With his braid in someone's hand, he had no choice but to bow his head.

He was a smart man. Knowing that Yi Zhonghai had suffered repeated setbacks, he wanted to use the "health inspection" tactic to fight back.

On the surface, it seems fair that no one locks their doors, but that's not actually the case at all.

There are three households in the backyard. The deaf old lady never goes out, and Liu Haizhong's wife, Li Caiyun, stays in the yard every day except when she goes to buy groceries. Only his family often locks their door.

Xu Fugui used to work for Boss Lou, but now he has been assigned to the propaganda department of the steel rolling mill as a projectionist. He will be attending training in a few days.

Tao Xiaoling, the daughter-in-law, is a maid in the Lou family. She can only come home for one or two nights a week at most. She usually eats and sleeps at the Lou family's house.

Sixteen-year-old Xu Damao had just graduated from junior high school and spent his days playing wildly with his classmates, rarely seen during the day.

The situation was similar in the Intermediate Court; the Jia and Yi families rarely locked their doors, and the only victim was He Yuzhu.

Needless to say, Gao Xiaosheng and Sun Youtian in the front yard are thorns in Yi Zhonghai's side and his primary targets.

Logically speaking, Xu Fugui had no reason to stand up for the two young men in the front yard, but he was afraid that Yi Zhonghai would take advantage of the situation and teach the Xu family a lesson as well.

Having been neighbors for many years, Xu Fugui knew Yi Zhonghai's personality quite well.

He has thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a square face. He looks like an upright person, but he's actually full of bad intentions. He loves to play dirty tricks and is also very vengeful.